Episode 12
· 45:34
As students, we all know the importance of being successful in school. But what does it really take to achieve that success? While good grades and test scores are certainly important, there are other key skills that can make a big difference in a student’s ability to succeed. These skills, known as executive functioning skills, can be described as the things students need to be successful in school and in life.
Executive functioning skills include things like goal setting, working memory, time and task management, organizational skills, accountability, and self-regulation. These skills are crucial for helping students feel successful, even if they don’t always experience success in terms of grades or other traditional measures.
Over the past few years, there have been numerous disruptions to traditional schooling, from the COVID–19 pandemic to online learning and hybrid models. These disruptions can make it even harder for students to develop and hone their executive functioning skills. That’s where Mitch, the founder of Organized Binder, comes in. Mitch started Organized Binder to help students who were struggling with school to be more successful by teaching them the executive functioning skills they need to succeed.
As Mitch says, “School is a game, and when you know how to play the game, you can be successful.” He emphasizes the importance of being ready to play the game for the sake of your team, whether that team is a group of classmates or a group of coworkers. And the key to playing the game well is having strong executive functioning skills.
So, how can students learn and develop these skills? According to Mitch, there are three key factors to teaching executive functioning skills: modeling, explicit instruction, and consistent and predictable routines. In other words, students are best able to learn these skills when they are explicitly modeled for them, when they get to practice them, and when they have consistent and predictable routines that allow them to practice these skills on a regular basis.
For example, it’s not enough to just tell students to be on time or to be ready to learn. Instead, students need to see what it looks like to be on time and what it looks like to be ready to learn. As they get exposure to these habits and routines, they are better able to learn and internalize them.
Regardless of what type of profession kids end up having, their executive functioning skills will enable them to be successful throughout their life. And, as Stanford University research has shown, these skills can have a big impact on a student’s overall well-being and happiness. In fact, adults often say, “I wish I had these executive functioning skills when I was a kid!”
But the good news is that it’s never too late to learn and develop these skills. In fact, there are many experts, like David Allen and Michael Hyatt, who have made millions of dollars teaching time and task management skills to adults. And Mitch offers both in-person and virtual trainings to help students learn and develop these skills.
One key to success is having a daily routine that helps students see what is possible and gives them the structure they need to succeed. Mitch also recommends Lisa Delpit’s book “Other People’s Children” as a great resource for learning more about how to teach and develop these skills.
If you’re interested in learning more about executive functioning skills and how they can help your student succeed, be sure to sign up for Mitch’s free Executive Functioning Webinar Series at organizedbinder.com. So, these are the things you need to know about executive functioning skills and how they can help students succeed in school and in life.
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